Tonsillectomy Recovery Time
After a lifetime of tonsillitis, it was time. I made the appointment. Was I scared? Yes. Was I prepared for tonsillectomy recovery? NO. Can you be? YES!
Planning for and recovering from a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedure, (often referred to as T & A Surgery), can be daunting experiences. The days leading up to your surgery can be frightening. If you haven’t read up yet, you can find information on tonsillectomy methods, risks, costs, adult tonsillectomy, sleep apnea, and numerous tips for tonsillectomy recovery on the other pages of this site. I’ve even added pictures of a post tonsillectomy throat by each day. Study, talk with your doctor and consult with your friends about the decision to undergo tonsillectomy and adenoid surgery. Explore the pages created here to aid in your journey.
If you should decide to have tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, let us help you through the entire process. Whether due to problems with sleep apnea, chronic tonsillitis and strep throat, tonsil stones, trouble swallowing, or a combination thereof, you can benefit from the experience of others. My own experience taught me that, as patients, we need to advocate for ourselves. Ear, nose, and throat doctors are, by and large, extremely talented individuals. However, very few of them have experienced an adult tonsillectomy, and the subsequent recovery. I have. Many others have too. We share our experiences here at the adult tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy recovery resource center. As you’ll read in the tonsillectomy recovery forum, everyone’s experience is unique. There are many factors that influence the level of pain you experience, as well as the length of time required during recovery. The method, and skill of your surgeon can have an affect, but there are also many things within your control that will reduce pain and recovery time. I’ve tried to include as many helpful tips as possible within the pages of this online resource. Tonsillectomy recovery can be pretty rough, especially if you are unlucky enough to be an adult! It takes longer for an adult to recover from most things. Tonsillectomy is no exception. There are many things you can do to make it go more smoothly. I’ve published numerous tips here on various pages. I encourage you to read up BEFORE you are in the throws of tonsillectomy recovery.
Talk with your doctor, friends, family, and work as you prepare. You are not alone in this. Like you and like me, many others are facing or have faced a tonsillectomy recovery. I created this forum for you. The community of adults or parents of patients will amaze you and warm your heart. I read these comments every day and every day I am humbled by everyone’s story and their compassion for others in the midst of recovery, or the anxiety that often precedes a tonsillectomy. Please join in. Hundreds of other people, perhaps in your same situation, have shared their wisdom, concerns, tips, and questions about tonsillectomy, as well as their tonsillectomy recovery.
-Greg My short bio
I’m on day 6 of recovery,but eating and drinking is war, even my saliva hurts to swallow, and I can see a greenish scab on it.any one has an idea what I might be up to?
My surgery is scheduled for April 22nd, I am 48 with tonsil stones. I am so scared. This site have really helped me just knowing that I’m not alone. The tips I will sure keep in mind. Happy healing to all.
. I’m scheduled April 25th and am 37. Good luck! I will all posted.
Don’t be afraid to drink. I’m not kidding. I will hurt but keep telling yourself it will be much worse if you don’t.
I have forced myself from the day of the surgery to drink water and/or gatorade like the doctor ordered. It hurts and still hurts to drink on Day 5 of recovery, but it has kept me hydrated. It is extremely important to stay on top of the pain. Take your meds! When the medication wears off, is when it hurts the worst. I am able to eat soft foods and drink easier when I am taking the medication. I keep my head elevated. It is harder to sleep. I tend to sleep several hours during the night but get up to take my medicine on schedule and sleep some during the day. I found flavored ice, which comes in little cups like ice cream and comes out like ice shaving. It is cold and tastes good. I found it in the ice cream section of the store. Be sure to stock up on things prior to surgery. I also have yogurt, ice cream, pudding, bomb pops, and jello. I also found that drinking carnation instant breakfast helped to be more filling. I found that after 3 days, I could eat mashed potatoes– warm NOT hot and macaroni and cheese – warm NOT hot. It still hurts to swallow but it also tastes good to have real food. I have not started to see the scar tissue yet; it is still white. I had to look…not a pretty sight–large holes. It does feel like something is caught in my throat sometimes. It is a weird feeling. I have a vaporizer going in my bedroom to keep moisture in the air. They gave me anti-nausea pills because I had vomiting right after surgery from the anesthesia and on the way home. I survived, which I say, because that happened to be my biggest fear going into surgery. You are stronger than you think you are! As long as you take your medication as prescribed and follow the great tips on this website, it really isn’t as bad as your mind can make it out to be. When you have a rough time, just remember, it is only temporary. Good luck to everyone!
My surgery was April 4, so I am on day 7 of recovery. Day 1 through day 4 was easy, didn’t eat a lot. I had huge tonsils(not sure if that matters a lot, but I would assume that it means my scarred tissue area is bigger than average) I normally have a high pain tolorance but I’m feeling like a big baby when my Percocet wears off. Just about every food burnes my throat, so I just eat jello and hard boiled egg whites. I have been choking down my multivitamins when I can, sometimes I just steal my daughters gummy ones. And I have been force feeding myself water. I am starving, has anyone for any “easy” food? Oh and is your throat still white?
I had my surgery same day. Most of the white is gone except on bsck wall. I did popcicles, pudding, jello, and broth. I had a lot of phlem which caused drooling so I garggled very skftly wafm water go remove pblem. Day 4 my tongue swelled. I have been awakened w pain 1/2 hr before each dose. Day 6 we called dr due to pain and tongue. Dr said take 2pills and increase liquids…not ice, not slushie water. day 7 finally slept. ear pain tongue still swollen and pain before each dose but nog the intense pain. Also pudding znd yogurt created phlem issue. We crush pills into los sodium organic chickdn or vegetable broth. This fixes hunger, swalowing pills and helps my throat pain. wish u a speedy recovery!
Hi! DevinAshley, you said food still burns your throat? Have you noticed the scabs or nasty green/white chucks of stuff coming off yet? The first stage there is the thick white stuff on top of your scabs and when that started falling off for me, eating and drinking was difficult because more of your tonsil beds are being exposed. My doctor actually prescribed me something called lidocaine liquid gel, I mix it with water and gargle it and it is supposed to numb my throat but it really only takes the sharp knife- a thousand bees stinging my throat- sort of pain. I take it before I eat so I don’t have to feel that sharp stinging pain. I also gargle luke-warm salt water too and I think very slowly it’s been helping my “canker sore” type things. Those are painful when I swallow 🙁 oh, I am on day 11 and had my post op check up yesterday. The doctor told me that Im on the right track in the healing process and looks good for day ten(yesterday). I was happy to hear that. She also told me that most people start seeing and feeling big improvements in recovery at day 10. So hang in there a couple more days and you will start feeling slightly better each day. I’ve been off my hydrocodone since Monday and I will never go on that again– it made me dizzy and nauseous all the time. Now I’m just doing Tylenol extra strength every six hours and gargling the numbing gel every three. A nurse told me to take Motrin the first four hrs and Tylenol the next four and keep switching and I’m annoyed because the Motrin made me bleed a little bit. So I stopped the Motrin. Last night I accidentally slept thru the night and missed my meds so i went 12 hours with nothing. I have to say, it wasn’t so horrible like it would have been the first few days missing meds, only minor compared to the earlier days.
My doctor also said most people are feeling pretty much normal by day 15 so next thursday I can start eating a normal diet of I feel like i can. And slowly return to normal activity. My husband took 9 days off work while I laid in bed. I am so thankful because we have three kids under four and are a lot of work. Especially since its still pretty sore when I talk. I’m really hoping I’m good to go and back to my normal tone of voice and feeling by the end of the month because I have a wedding to sing in on the 27th. I should be…I HOPE to be!!
Anyway, keep doing what your doing, drink so much water!! I drank a ton and I think that helped a lot. My pain right now is a 2 and has been since yesterday. My worst days were days 4-7 I think.
Oh and ice packs on the outside of your neck really helped me especially while I slept. And a humidifier so you don’t wake up too dry.
Soon you will see the light at the end of the tunnel just like I do. Keep being strong!!
I said this up above in another post, but I am on Day 5, and my throat is still white. I am 45 yrs. old and had surgery on April 17. I found that mashed potatoes with butter and macaroni & cheese is good to eat and I have tried soup too. But make sure it is WARM and NOT HOT. That is very important. I make it and let it cool down some before attempting to eat it. It is still hurts to swallow but it is so good to have some real food that it is worth it. It helps fill you up. I also suggested carnation instant breakfast to help fill you up. It is not fun being so hungry.
Today is the two week anniversary of my tonsillectomy. I am a 33 year old female who has suffered from tonsillitis for the past few years and generally had it a minimum of four times per year. I put off having the surgery until the last bout in January of this year when after two rounds of steroids and antibiotics my tonsils still became abscessed! My surgery was on March 27, 2013 and I must say, while there was pain involved, it was no more than the pain I had with tonsillitis. I have had other surgeries in the past and anesthesia always makes me nauseous. Having a tonsillectomy I knew I would have enough pain and discomfort without being nauseous and vomiting. Pre-surgery I spoke to the anesthesiologist who recommended a patch behind the ear (for motion sickness) and a pill 1 hour prior to surgery called Emend. The patch stays in place for three days and the pill stays in your system for three days as well. Most insurance do not cover the pill and it is pricey, around $60.00, but well worth the money. Both worked great and I had no nausea or vomiting post surgery. After surgery I went home and took pain medication every 4 hours for the first three days and did very little. I lay in bed and got up only to use the restroom. Although painful, the doctor recommended I eat as soon as possible and drink plenty of fluids. I hate water, so Gatorade and Powerade is what I mostly drank, as well as coffee both warm and iced, along with eating popsicles, apple sauce, jello, and oatmeal. Also, the doctor recommended talking as much as possible. This was uncomfortable at times, but helps to get the muscles back and working sooner. On day four I started chewing gum as this also helps with soreness. The worst days for me were 7-9 when the scabs starting coming off and it was like an open wound all over again. The “magic mouthwash” prescribed by my doctor was the best relief, gargling it four times a day. It soothes and numbs the throat, mouth, and tongue. All in all, the pain was not unbearable as long as I regularly took my pain medication. By day four I was down to every six to eight hours and by week two only ½ pain pill two times a day. Now just taking Tylenol as needed. I believe the surgery was worth it and would rather be in some pain for a couple of weeks, than pain for a couple of weeks four or more times a year. The worst part I think is that I am so ready to eat food, but just not able to get down a lot, unless very soft, due to the swelling. In the two weeks I have lost 15 pounds due to not being able to eat “real” food. As I’ve read in previous posts, yawning is still very challenging and cannot wait to yawn a big yawn again! Hope this helps anyone who is thinking about the surgery. As long as you can tolerate a little pain that is no worse than tonsillitis, take your pain medication, and follow doctor’s orders, you will do fine with the surgery. If you’re like me and love food, just be patient when it comes to what and when you will be able to eat.
Your recovery makes me a little less nervous. Glad you did well. Did your doctor use the coblation method?
Thanks
I have my surgery scheduled for June 7th. As I sit here and write this, I am on my fourth bout of strep and/or tonsillitis in a few months time. This time around it was absolutely horrible. I have contemplated going to the ER a few times, even calling 911 when I was home alone for a bit. But I waited thinking they will just give me more meds and charge me a fortune! My temp was at 103.5. Never got it below 101 with meds until today, which is day 4! I have been so bad, that I considered death a better option. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see how the surgery could be any worse. My tonsils were so swollen they were touching and I could not eat a thing. Could barely drink–took like 7 swallows to get one little sip down! I am so ready to do this. I pray this solves my problems! It’s been horrible! Good luck to all of you dealing with it right now!